Staff photo / Ashley Fox...... Overlooking his shade garden is Robert Coggeshall of Youngstown. From tending to his lush gardens to caring for his three rescue beagles to taking photos of wildlife, Coggeshall said patience is key.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is one of a series of Saturday profiles of area residents and their stories. To suggest a profile, contact features editor Burton Cole at bcole@tribtoday.com or metro editor Marly Reichert at mreichert@tribtoday.com

YOUNGSTOWN — Robert Coggeshall starts his day usually around 5 a.m. when his three rescue beagles, Ruby, Corbin and Shiloh, wake him up.

As his day progresses, he spends time tending to the countless plants throughout his property, which sits against Mill Creek Park.

Throughout the spring, summer and fall, Coggeshall’s gardens, which surround his home, bloom in stages.

Coggeshall, 75, said tending to his gardens and the wildlife they bring is possible through “patience and persistence.”

There is constant changing, he said. It’s also nearly impossible to know the amount of different plants, but he has 160 zinnias, seven types of blueberries and black-eyed Susans in the front and side yards.

Last year alone Coggeshall froze 16 gallons of blueberries.

In the back yard, where his property descends into the park, is a total shade garden with plants including hydrangeas and a variety of hosta.

It’s the variety of plants, and his love of nature coupled with patience that has brought wildlife to him and allowed him to capture it with his Canon cameras.

Covering walls in his home and taking up storage on his iPad are photos of Buttons, a white deer that died several years ago. Most recent was the white deer who died giving birth, which he affectionately called Bella.

Coggeshall has eight multiple terabyte hard drives completeley filled with photos.

He’s taken tens of thousands of photos of the deer, but in his catalog are also photos of eagles, blue herrons spearing fish, “zombie” raccoons and his own reflection in a bird’s eye.

The raccoons led to Coggeshall being interviewed by media from around the world in 2018. He was outside with his dogs when a raccoon followed them walking on his hind legs around during the day. Coggeshall got his pups inside just in time, and snapped photos of the raccoon as it bared its teeth. After lab testing, it was discovered the raccoons has distemper.

Animals, especially deer, tend to feel welcome and safe around Coggeshall, even coming right up to him. He said he’s just always moved slow and talked softly.

For everything, he said, “you just have to be patient.”

In 2005, Coggeshall and wife Janice moved into the Youngstown home from Ashtabula County.

He grew up in New Hampshire and Janice is from Poland.

They knew they wanted a house in the park, and when the home went on the market, the Coggeshalls purchased it.

It turns out through some ancestry research, Coggeshall has a sort of connection with Mill Creek and its planner, Volney Rogers.

“Volney Rogers, who created the park, was my eighth cousin twice removed. My eighth-great grandfather was (Rogers’) sixth great- grandfather,” Coggeshall said.

In addition to retired banker, naturalist, photographer and grandfather, Coggeshall also was a state representative in New Hampshire in his early 20s. “I’ve worn a lot of hats,” he said.

“It’s kind of funny because I ran against my sister-in-law’s father and beat him,” Coggeshall said. Around that time, Coggeshall’s brother also graduated from law school and went to work for the legislature.

For a stint, he was also a naturalist for the park, where he led tours and talks at the Ford Nature center.

Now, he’ll talk to groups about finding things to do around home, as he has taken most of his pictures within 10-minute walks from his own house, he said.

Coggeshall has two adult children and three grandchildren.

afox@vindy.com