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

Maritime forest in Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia

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, 2018Papa was a flightless bird
Jun 17, 2019World-class art comes to Arkansas
Jun 17, 2020Don t go chasing waterfalls
Jun 17, 2021Just another day in paradise
Jun 17, 2022Grand Teton National Park
Jun 17, 2023International Surfing Day
Jun 17, 2024Pollinator Week

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Mar 24, 2023Wild garlic in bloom at Hainich National Park, Germany
Apr 12, 2020Who created the Easter Bunny?
Jun 4, 2025The beach at Cala Luna, Sardinia, Italy
Apr 25, 2026World Penguin Day
Sep 18, 2024Gujō Hachiman Castle, Gifu prefecture, Japan
Jul 29, 2022International Tiger Day
Jul 9, 2018Gauchos showcase Argentina’s independent spirit
Oct 12, 2019It s aboat time for the Barcolana
Mar 20, 2021It s time for spring
Jan 2, 2020Winter in the Finnish wilds
Apr 23, 2024World Book Day
Aug 17, 2023Things are looking up
Dec 23, 2020Swimming into the season
Jan 30, 2024Aýna, Albacete, Spain
Sep 25, 2024Sequoia National Parks 134th anniversary
Apr 14, 2022Horseshoe Bend, Arizona
Apr 20, 2023Juniper Springs, Florida
Feb 2, 2019Groundhog Day arrives—beyond a shadow of a doubt
Dec 14, 2022National Audubon Society s Christmas Bird Count
Aug 18, 2018Is that a buzzing sound?
Apr 25, 2020Rockin with the rockhoppers
Aug 4, 2022Satla marshland in Bangladesh
May 11, 2021 The Crown of the Continent
Sep 5, 20242024 Toronto International Film Festival
Mar 5, 2018Seattle Central Library, Seattle, Washington
Oct 20, 2024International Sloth Day
Jul 16, 2019Hemingway’s Keys
Aug 31, 2024Tassili n’Ajjer, Sahara, Algeria
Aug 5, 2022Edinburgh festivals
Aug 3, 2022Red-necked grebes during breeding season