Around here (Boston) it's a good time to get the leaf blower and get rid of the pile of rubbish from the trees out of the engine compartment, and the rear trunk water drains. (and your house gutters)

If it's not wet it blows out fast.

Indeed that's a problem. Here it is tulip tree seeds which are a lot like maple seeds but smaller.
They clog those trunk drains necessitating removal of the hoses to flush them out.
--
"Differences of opinions should be tolerated, but not if they're too different" - Sharon Craig

I wonder if anyone tried a screen for the drains or maybe stuff some porous
stuff there to prevent a hard to clear mess?

My father-in-law put large mesh screens in his gutters to keep the leaves out. Didn't work.

Best bet is to keep the drains clean by washing the car once a week. Both of the trunk drains on my 1995 project were closed with mud - compost. A wire to break up the compost and a pitcher of water to wash it down.

A leaf blower works, so long as the leaves have never gotten wet. Fingers work better, along with soap and water.

If you leave on area w/ lots of tree leaves, keep an eye on the drain that is just behind the heater core. Especially does cars w/ out the cabin filter. This drain can clogged and you might see lots of water on your carpets. Sun roof drains should also be clean!!