May be a slime mold, which is different from a fungus technically, but doesn't matter much. Nothing wrong with it, just part of the decomposition process.

Was mostly my thinking guys, just never seen this type of specimen before lol. Bright yellow is usually a sign to keep away, ya know?

Thanks for the comments btw, I appreciate all the help

Well, keep away in the sense of don't eat it, true.

My entry in the "what the heck is that slime-mold type thing on my compost?" sweepstakes.

This appeared overnight with a big, thick, spongey look to it. This was a bunch of wildflowers on our dining table but they were too pretty to consign to the compost bin, so I laid them on a big pile of woodchips (where at least I would appreciate them). Four or five days later (today) this mess has taken over.

First time I've seen anything like this in my yard. Oh, note the ruby bits, look a bit like pomegranate seeds, I've no idea what that is.

Looks like Dog Vomit slime mold. Google it if you dare!

Yeah, that's probably it, had that stuff in some compost ages ago, but it seems to always express (look) differently - this particular time looks more like discarded spongey porridge rather than bright colours I've seen before. This just seemed weird to me because absolutely took over the wildflowers I'd tossed on there; don't understand why they provoked this porridge apocalypse, there's always odds and ends of cuttings from the yard in various places.

That said, doesn't bother me in the least, I like these weird surprises. As long as no-one mistakes it for actual porridge.

After about ten days, during which the porridge didn't seem to change all that much except for looking a bit stale, it once again changed quickly (overnight?) to dry out completely into a dark reddish-brown dust. Touch it or move it and it just does a dust cloud. Interesting.

I alspalso want to know about this yellow fungus like growth in my compost . please let me know if you have any

Yellow slime mold? Yellow dog vomit mold? Fuligo septica? Not a fungus or a mold, but a plastid.

Or so I read.

You can disturb it and make it go away.

As noted here, it's Fuligo septica - Dog Vomit slime mold. It's actually edible.

https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/tag/edible-slime-mold/

One often finds edible plants growing in compost piles. Think of it in that way!

Thanks for the link^^^interesting. "Edible" strikes my interest as I'm open to trying new things. I do get it on my compost piles but wonder how to harvest it without taking up some of the compost.

Well, you might want to do some more research on it. I did find this, which says that it is NOT edible (without explanation). So there is some controversy.

https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/dog-vomit-slime-mold-scrambled-egg-slime-mold

then again, it is reported that it may be an allergan, but is non-toxic to people, pets, or plants.

https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=46590&sharing=yes

Try it and tell us! You might want to cook it well, to kill anything that might latch onto it from your compost. The name is hardly appetizing, though.

The edible qualifier is intriguing. My question though is who put this to the test and then declared "it's edible". How much did they pay him/her? Who sponsored this study? Just saying...

It's the same person who ate the first clam.

That's a fair point. When plants are declared "inedible", does it mean that one bite and you fall over dead, or does it mean that they just don't taste good? "Inedible", by itself, is a meaningless descriptor.

inedible

https://ultimate-mushroom.com/poisonous/24-fuligo-septica.html

https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/dog-vomit-slime-mold-scrambled-egg-slime-mold

edible

https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/tag/edible-slime-mold/

https://laidbackgardener.blog/2020/07/11/dog-vomit-slime-mold-a-surprising-garden-visitor/

You'd like to believe that those who call it "edible" have actually eaten it!

Again, it is said that the stuff has allergic potential, as do all slime molds. Evidently lots of people are actually sensitive to it.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24267365/