The yellow stuff is called "dog vomit fungus"....guess why?
Likely the squirrel was burying a nut if he didn't eat the glad....
Hot pepper sprinkled around will keep squirrels from digging!
Linda C

Many people have designs for wire being used around bulbs that get dug up by squirrels. I don't know how, but I'm sure you can find the answer if you look around on the other forums also.

From what I understand, bulbs are squirrel candy. The cayenne thing works, but you have to reapply after it rains.

I had some good advice for this...i am a new gardener with a new house (read = budget!!!) so didn't want to waste the $$ losing my little bulbs. I bought thai hot peppers (come in a baggie of 10-20 dried little chilis). Bury your bulb and just above it, lay down a pepper. The squirrels dig b/c they smell the bulb (who know if that is true, but i belived it!). THey dig and find something and take a bit...yeeeoooww hot...and don't dig any further in that spot. I didn't have many squirrels digging in my little spot.

Cflower,

Pieces of hardware cloth laid over your bulbs will act as a barrier to squirrel digging, while allowing rain and sun access to the spot. Four squirrels were digging up our tulip bulbs, leaving deep holes where the bulbs had been, so I trapped them in a Havahart trap (one at a time) and shot them. I didn't have any hardware cloth and I did have the trap and a good air rifle. The remaining tulips bloomed nicely and we will replace the ones that the squirrels ate.

MM

Get small gauge chicken wire and put it down on top of the bulbs. Pin it down with Y-shaped twigs or old fashioned clothes pins. The squirrels can't dig up the bulb. Once the bulbs are up get fine gauge black deer repellent screening and build a frame over them. A lot of work, yes, but your flowers will look great and the squirrels won't get them. Even the hardened urban squirrels in my neighborhood have backed off. Good luck

Chicken wire has bigger holes, so your leaves have a better chance of growing through it than through hardware cloth.