JM seedlings can be any color - it doesn't matter who their parent is.

And you should be aware that there is no such thing as a 'Bloodgood' seedling. Named forms of JM's can only be propagated asexually. Any seed grown JM is just a plain old Japanese maple, no cultivar name.

Hi Musicgirl. This indeed looks like a seedling from your Bloodgood tree. I'm assuming that this is the only seed bearing maple nearby. The actual Bloodgood tree is grafted to make sure you get an exact copy/characteristic they advertise. There is a huge quantity of seedlings sold each year. Just beware that seedling are like children, most are different from there parents. I have one in my front yard that is a lighter shade of red and tend to turn greener toward the summertime. New patented varieties normally come from seedlings or limb mutations. I say take care of the seedling and see what it developes into. Good luck, Bill