Maritime forest in Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia, United States Jun 17, 2025

Maritime forest in Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia, United States

Before you hit the beach, you"ll hear it—the rustle of leaves in salty air, the creak of twisted trunks, the hush of an old world. Welcome to the maritime forest of Cumberland Island National Seashore on the southernmost stretch of Georgia"s Atlantic coast. Salt spray, sandy soil, hurricanes? The trees here stand their ground. Live oaks bend but don"t break. Saw palmettos crowd the ground like leafy bodyguards, while Spanish moss hangs from branches like nature"s fringe. This maritime forest is one of the best remaining examples of this rare habitat in the United States. Thanks to its national seashore status, the island has been spared from the concrete creep seen on other coastlines.

© Chris Moore/TANDEM Stills + Motion

palette

Today in History

Jun 17, 2024Green-crowned brilliant
June 17, 2026Tremola Road on the Saint Gotthard Pass in Airolo, Switzerland

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Aug 13, 2024Telašćica Nature Park, Dugi Otok, Croatia
Oct 29, 2025Ancient til trees in Fanal Forest, Madeira, Portugal
Oct 18, 2023Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, USA
July 26, 2026Red mangrove in the Pig Keys, Honduras
Sept 2, 2026Beach huts, Southwold, Suffolk Heritage Coast, England
Sep 27, 2025Tank Lakes, Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Washington, United States
Sep 27, 2023French River, Ontario, Canada
Nov 18, 2025Male hooded merganser
Apr 13, 2026Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California, United States
Feb 8, 2024Mount Hood, Oregon, USA
Jun 21, 2025Masai giraffes in the Serengeti
Apr 20, 2026Canyonlands National Park, Moab, Utah, United States
May 31, 2024Gunnerside, Yorkshire Dales National Park, England
Sep 19, 2024Milky Way over the Elbow River, Alberta, Canada
Jul 11, 2025Tokyo at sunrise, Japan
Feb 21, 2024Horsetail Fall, Yosemite National Park, California, USA
Jun 12, 2024Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA
Mar 24, 2024Silvereyes, South Korea
Dec 5, 2023Castles in the Bavarian Alps
Mar 18, 2026Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Portland, Oregon, USA
Jul 3, 2025Rainbow River, Rainbow Springs State Park, Florida, United States
Oct 26, 2023Schönbrunn Palace Park, Vienna, Austria
Dec 24, 2025Starling murmuration, Brighton, England
Nov 10, 2025Black-tailed prairie dogs
Nov 17, 2023Copper Falls State Park, Wisconsin, USA
Jan 13, 2024Road to Hana, Maui, Hawaii, USA
Aug 21, 2026Winding road of Julier Pass, Switzerland
Dec 24, 2023Town Hall Square, Tartu, Estonia
Nov 12, 2023Mallard ducks
Oct 17, 2023Torra di a Parata, Corsica, France