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

More Desktop Wallpapers:

May 22, 2025International Day for Biological Diversity
Holiday hues
Aug 11, 2024Wooden path to Kennedy Lake, Vancouver Island, Canada
Feb 17, 2024Kailasa temple in Ellora caves
Birthplace of the Renaissance
Sep 22, 2024Bada Bagh complex in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan
Jan 10, 2025Abraham Lake, Alberta, Canada
Swinging over Munich
Nov 3, 2025Jellyfish swimming in the Pacific, Guerrero, Mexico
Pastel perfection
Feb 5, 2025Waitangi Day in New Zealand
Jan 16, 2024Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
Sep 1, 2025Great Basin National Park, Nevada, United States
Feb 10, 2025Art Installation of umbrellas, London, United Kingdom
Jan 22, 2024Walton Lighthouse, Santa Cruz, California, USA
Mar 11, 2024Sleeping koala
Jul 6, 2025Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park, United States
Mar 20, 2024Cave Dale and Peveril Castle, England
Twinkle twinkle, little bugs
May 3, 2025Happy International Astronomy Day!
Jun 16, 2025World Sea Turtle Day
Aug 9, 2025Raksha Bandhan
Nature, art, and...math?
Sep 9, 2023Ayutthaya Historical Park, Thailand
Alps of the sea
Nov 5, 2024Ranakpur Jain temple, Ranakpur, Rajasthan
Unbe-leaf-able
Aug 10, 2024Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA
Sep 27, 2024Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, Italy
Oct 20, 2023Pygmy three-toed sloth baby, Isla Escudo de Veraguas, Panama