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

A high-flying royal tradition
A grand view
17 Jun 2024Green-crowned brilliant hummingbird

More Desktop Wallpapers:

16 Sep 2025Nighttime view over the Gulf Coast
Black sands in a tropical paradise
20 Jan 2025Dunes at White Sands National Park, New Mexico, United States
Aug 25, 2023National Park Service anniversary
25 Feb 2025Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, United States
3 Sep 2025St Barbaras Cathedral, Kutná Hora, Czechia
21 Oct 2024Cypress trees in George L Smith State Park, Georgia, United States
21 Jun 2024World Giraffe Day
4 Jan 2024Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California, USA
1 Feb 2024Sassnitz lighthouse, Rügen, Germany
Lighting the world
10 Dec 2025Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, Andalusia, Spain
22 Nov 2023Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA
Go fly a kite!
7 Oct 2023Katmai National Park, Alaska, USA
12 Jul 2025Thomsons gazelles, Maasai Mara, Kenya
24 Apr 2024The white trilliums in Ontario, Canada
9 Aug 2025International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples
10 Nov 2024Remembrance Sunday
22 Dec 2023December solstice
31 Jul 2025Kalalau Beach on the Nā Pali Coast, Kauai, Hawaii, United States
The bears of summer
Misty mountain hop
Teddy bears of the sea
Paranormal activity?
A pink moon over Arizona
Sunset on the Valley of the Moon
28 Oct 2025The Gothic Gate in the Adršpach-Teplice Rocks, Czechia
8 Mar 2026Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Portland, Oregon, United States
Farewell Ma’am