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

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

Revered ruins
A grand view
Jun 17, 2024Green-crowned brilliant hummingbird
Jun 17, 2026Tremola Road on the Saint Gotthard Pass in Airolo, Switzerland

More Desktop Wallpapers:

An iridescent view
Nov 5, 2024Ranakpur Jain temple, Ranakpur, Rajasthan
Feb 22, 2025Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Jul 14, 2024Shark Awareness Day
Jun 27, 2025Splendid leaf frog
Aug 18, 2025Avalanche Lake Trail at Adirondack High Peaks, New York, United States
Jan 1, 2024Happy New Year!
So fresh, so clean
Starry, starry night
May 22, 2025International Day for Biological Diversity
A very public display of affection
What’s blooming so brightly?
Oct 22, 2023Astoria-Megler Bridge, Oregon
Jun 6, 202581st anniversary of D-Day
Jul 12, 2025Thomsons gazelles, Maasai Mara, Kenya
Mar 12, 2024Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, USA
Jul 16, 2024A hammock in Central Florida, USA
Jul 29, 2024International Tiger Day
Dec 2, 2025Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska, United States
A symbol of peace
Nov 21, 2025Small island near Ezhikkara, Kerala
May 2, 2025Striated heron on a Victoria water lily, Pantanal, Brazil
Apr 14, 2026Ambedkar Jayanti
Jan 9, 2025Sossusvlei sand dunes, Namib desert, Namibia
Dec 23, 2023Chinstrap penguins
May 15, 2026Endangered Species Day
Oct 10, 2023Mount Sopris, Colorado
Apr 5, 2026Easter Sunday
Jun 6, 2024Les Braves monument, Omaha Beach, Normandy, France
A breathtaking cave when it’s cold