Most of the country cleans gutters in November and calls it a year. Austin doesn't get that deal, because our two signature shade trees run their own calendar.
The live oak problem
Live oaks are "evergreen" in the sense that they're never bare — but they swap their entire canopy every spring. Late February through April, they drop the old leaves all at once, and follow with catkins: those stringy yellow-brown tassels that coat cars, porches, and gutters. Leaves alone are manageable. Catkins are the killer — they mat together into a dense, wet felt that doesn't blow out and doesn't break down quickly. A gutter under live oak canopy can go from clear to non-functional in one spring.
The pecan problem
Pecans work the other shift. Through late summer and fall they drop leaflets, then husk material as the nuts open. The leaflets are small enough to travel down into downspout elbows, which is why a pecan-shaded gutter often looks passable from the ladder while the downspout underneath is packed solid.
What a year of it adds up to
By December, an unguarded gutter under this canopy is carrying a spring layer of oak felt with a fall layer of pecan on top, plus a season of shingle grit as the base layer. Water sits in it after every rain. Then it overflows — front edge into the beds, back edge against the fascia — and the standing muck holds moisture against every seam through the winter.
What actually helps
Two honest options. Clean twice a year, timed to the drops — after the spring oak dump and after fall. Or put the right guard on and stretch those intervals dramatically. Which guard depends on the tree: catkin felt demands finer mesh than leaf drop. That's exactly the assessment we do from your yard — the tiers are compared honestly in the gutter guard tier guide, and the estimate is free.