Juglans cinerea vs Carya illinoinensis grain

[Kenzen]

Had an chance to saw up several walnut trees on a slope near an area that was frequently wet bottom.  While sawing up the walnuts one was true -- dark heartwood-- the next one a lighter heartwood.  With the bark similarity on the down trees I made the assumption that the lighter was Juglans cinerea.  Anyway, we finally did get around to milling the tree into lumber.  The sawyer believed that the tree with the lighter bark was Carya illnoinensis by looking at the grain.  He stated that the grain had the figuring of a nut tree, would not butternut be a nut tree as well?  Any way I felt that both lumber grain seem similar.  Also the topography was more so for butternut.  Live in East Tennessee and the pecan tree is uncommon here.  So anybody want to give input into the differences of the lumber?

[Dodgy Loner]

Pecan wood is a LOT harder and denser than butternut. Not even close. Butternut is softer than walnut, and walnut is softer than pecan. If you can dent it slightly with your fingernail, it's probably butternut.