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 in the United States. 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

Paddle power
A grand view
Jun. 17, 2024Pollinator Week

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Aug. 10, 2024Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA
One on land, a million in space
May 8, 2025World Donkey Day
Mar. 9, 2024Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, New Mexico, USA
This lake is no mirage
Dec. 19, 2025Bormio, Lombardy, Italy
Jun. 15, 2024International Surfing Day
The beauty that lies below
Sep. 11, 2023French River, Ontario
Apr. 5, 2024The Bahamas
Centuries of time in a Delicate Arch
Jul. 31, 2025Kalalau Beach on the Nā Pali Coast, Kauai, Hawaii, United States
Starry, starry night
Jan. 16, 2024Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
May 15, 2024The Blue City of Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
‘The hills have a power to soothe and heal which is their very own.’
Celebrating our looming lunar neighbour
Aug. 26, 2023Berlin Cathedral and Museum Island, Berlin
A rainbow that’s worth the rainfall
Grizzly bear and cub
Willamette National Forest, Oregon
Sep. 4, 2024Dusky eagle-owls, Pakistan
Say hello to these halophytes!
Apr. 10, 2024Siblings Day
Desert daggers?
Jun. 9, 2024Bardenas Reales Biosphere Reserve and Natural Park, Navarra, Spain
Jun. 5, 2025World Environment Day
Where the rainbow ends
Oct. 28, 2024Pumpkin field, Victoria, British Columbia
Apr. 1, 2024April Fools Day