Found this gross mass that looks like Shrek's vomit in the front area of the garden.
***UPDATE***(3/30/08)
Found out what this is. It is actually referred to as "dog's vomit fungus" amongst gardeners...so I wasn't too far off in my comment above ☺.
I found the info below at Clemson.edu site:
Slime Molds
Slime molds are fungus-like organisms and live in cool, shady damp places such as the soil surface of lawns, on organic mulches, or on rotting logs. This fungus produces white, gray or purple patches in the lawn that are usually visible in the morning. They are also noticeable later in their life cycle when they cause grayish or black crust-like powdery balls on blades of grass. Slime molds come in a variety of colors, including brown, salmon, off-white, yellow, orange or brick red. Some appear in the spring and look like white-yellow globs of plaster on lawns and low-growing plants. They occur mostly during the spring during warm, wet conditions and may occur in the same location each year.
Although they may look alarming, slime molds poses no harm to lawn grasses. Slime molds feed on bacteria, other fungi and decaying organic matter in the soil. They do not feed on green plants. Slime molds grow on dead organic matter and therefore do not pose a direct threat to any plants in the garden. Excessive shading and an undesirable appearance of the lawn can occur when fungal growth becomes very heavy.
Treatment: Control of slime molds is not necessary, since they do not pose a threat to any plants in the garden. The slime molds will disappear in dry weather. The fungal mass can be removed by washing the leaves with a strong stream of water or by mowing when weather conditions are dry. In wet or humid weather, remove slime mold with a rake or broom, since spraying with water will spread the mold to other areas. In many cases the slime mold will turn black and disintegrate within a few days on its own.
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