Deanna Erin Conners is a biologist and science communicator from Western New York who has been contributing to the conversations on EarthSky since 2011. Her overarching hypothesis is that we have vastly underestimated the intelligence of non-human species. She is endlessly fascinated by the interconnectedness in nature and occasionally chimes in with stories about birding, Earth science, and the Great Lakes. (Portrait taken at Buckhorn Island State Park, NY, appears courtesy of Karen Lee Lewis.)