DOTD For Tuesday, May 19, 2026
We've Been Growing The Bar For A Year - And Now You Should Grow Something Too!
Today’s DOTD - Drink Of The Day - is an Authentic Ranch Water cocktail or mocktail inspired by National Plant Something Day - and the birthday of The Politics Bar!
The Backstory on National Plant Something Day
National Plant Something Day is a holiday that’s celebrated in the United States every year on May 19. It encourages people to take a few minutes to plant something around them. It could be a flower, a tree, or an indoor plant. Any plant that grows will suffice. During the holiday, local businesses like nurseries and landscapers often host community events to plant vegetation in public spaces together. People can plant at home, in schools, in parks, and in other community gardens. The planting initiates help to protect the environment and enhance the beauty of public spaces.
Scientists estimate that over the past 10,000 years, humans have cleared about one-third to one-half of the Earth’s original habitable forests, while others have fallen to both natural and man-made climate change. Half of the world’s forests have been lost in just the past hundred years. Roughly 80% of Earth’s ancient, contiguous “old-growth” forests have now been degraded or entirely destroyed, leaving primarily younger, fragmented less biodiverse ecosystems.
About 8,000 years ago, these old-growth forests dominated much of the land on Earth, before human activities affected them. These days, humans are effecting our shared environment more than at any time in human history. One of the most destructive ways humans are doing this is through mass-production farming. Today, many crops are mass-produced by corporate-owned farms for specific kinds of plants that can be grown & harvested quickly. Being able to produce crops that are easier and less expensive to produce allows these corporations to turn a bigger profit - but it makes for a much less biodiverse environment for everything else on Earth, including humanity.
In fact, a year ago, when The Politics Bar just opened, we had author and journalist Ted Genoways here at The Politics Bar to talk about his book “Tequila Wars: José Cuervo and the Bloody Struggle for the Spirit of Mexico.” We discussed with him then how how some agave farmers are being pushed to grow their crops faster, which can damage the crops, the environment, and even the flavor of the tequila. If you missed that interview, feel free to roll back and listen to to it now!
A majority of the most healthy plants on Earth aren’t easily available to consumers because they’re not as profitable for farmers to produce on a large scale. There are more than 80,000 edible plant species, that we know of. However, about 90% of the food we eat comes from only about 30 plants. This makes the human diet more limited than it has to be.
There are also many plants that are used for medicine in different parts of the world. Both traditional and modern medicine make use of about 70,000 plant species to treat various ailments. Despite that, there is not enough protection for plants. Only about 10% of the world’s plant-rich areas are protected to make sure that more plant species can survive.
National Plant Something Day was established to encourage more people to grow plants around them. This helps to boost the number of plants in the environment. It also gives people the opportunity to grow some plant species that they may not have been able to access easily.
National Plant Something Day FAQS
Are all plants poisonous?
Some plants, such as Poison Ivy, produce irritants that can cause allergic reactions, and there are some plants that are dangerous to eat. However, the majority of known plant species on Earth are not poisonous to humans.
Are some plants carnivorous?
Yes, though not like Audrey II in Little Shop Of Horrors.. Carnivorous plants are unique species of plants that obtain essential nutrients (like nitrogen) by trapping and digesting insects and other small animals. Most naturally thrive in nutrient-poor, waterlogged environments such as acidic bogs and swamps. There are several types of carnivorous plants including:
Snap Traps - These are plants like Venus Flytraps, which are hinged, hair-lined, leaf pockets that snap shut when prey triggers the sensory hairs.
Pitcher Plants - These plants use deep, slippery tube-like leaves filled with digestive enzymes along the sides, and sticky enzymes at the bottom. Insects slide in and are trapped and devoured.
Flypaper Traps - These are plants like Sundews and Butterworts. They use sticky mucilage (glue) on their leaves to trap insects.
Suction Traps - These are plants like Bladderworts. They’re carnivorous plants that look like submerged, tangled mats of fine, green, hair-like foliage, often topped with bright yellow or purple snapdragon-like flowers floating on stalks above the water. They use tiny vacuole bladders to suck in passing water organisms.
National Plant Something Day Activities
Plant something!
Literally - this is what the holiday is for! You can take the time to plant something around you. It can be flowers, herbs, fruits, or vegetables. Yes, you can grow things in your apartment too.
Share plant seeds
You can share plant seeds with the people around you. Giving them seeds - and a little encouragement - may spur them to plant something too.
Water some plants
Plants need water to survive. Give some water to the plants around you to help them thrive.
Of course, plants aren’t the only living things that need to drink something. Which is, of course, one of many reasons we give you the Drink Of The Day here at The Politics Bar, and today’s birthday Drink Of The Day is an Authentic Ranch Water cocktail or mocktail!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’re going to need for this drink:
